ISLAMABAD: EU Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark said on Thursday that relations with Pakistan should have stronger political and security dimension.

“EU-Pakistan ties should not be just about trade and aid,” the EU envoy said at a media briefing about the upcoming Pak-EU Strategic Dialogue in Brussels slated for March 25.

Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz will lead the Pakistani delegation to the second edition of the dialogue. EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton will head the EU side at the talks.

The EU granted the preferential trade status GSP+ to Pakistan in December, allowing Pakistani products duty-free access to European markets. The EU is a major donor of development aid to Pakistan.

Besides, the fourth Pak-EU counterterrorism dialogue is scheduled for May.

The EU ambassador called for greater emphasis on political and security aspects of the relationship. He said that at the dialogue the two sides would review the five-year engagement plan, discuss migration issues and exchange views on regional developments, including the upcoming drawdown of foreign troops from Afghanistan and the Syrian conflict.

Iran, he said, would also come up in the discussion in the context of ongoing negotiations on its N-programme.